Chapter 223

Reincarnated as a Fisherman and a Dad Chapter 223

After that, she made chocolate milk for the twins because she felt bad that they were still sad. Their eyes were swollen and red from crying so hard.

'...They literally just made a massive mess, yet here I am making them chocolate milk.' She couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Being a mother was truly a humbling experience.

An hour later, Karlos returned home and immediately noticed the children's puffy, tear-stained eyes.

"...So what kind of trouble did they cause this time?" Karlos asked Maya with an amused grin, proving once again that he understood his children quite well.

"Arabella climbed up and pushed over the dish rack, shattering a few plates."

When Maya explained what happened, Arabella kept her gaze glued to the floor, clutching her plastic cup of chocolate milk tightly. She had already received her disciplinary spanking earlier. While it hadn't physically hurt much, the emotional sting of being punished still made her sad.

"Are they alright? Any injuries?" Karlos asked with immediate concern in his voice.

"They're fine. I checked them over thoroughly, and neither of them has any cuts or bruises."

"That's a relief. Did you manage to clean up the kitchen?" Karlos glanced toward the cooking area, noticing it looked spotless.

"I did."

"Babe, you've worked hard today. I'll take care of the rest of the household chores later," Karlos said, deeply appreciative of Maya's daily efforts.

"Let's eat lunch," Maya smiled warmly, inviting the rest of the family to the table.

During the meal, Karlos gently lectured the twins, explaining that destroying things and climbing where they shouldn't were dangerous habits. The twins solemnly promised they would never do it again.

"Kids, don't give your mother a hard time. Always treat her with kindness," he reminded them, and the twins nodded enthusiastically. They loved their mother with all their hearts.

Later that night, Arabella properly apologized to both Karlos and Maya, even offering to tell them a bedtime story as her own little way of making amends. Unfortunately, Arabella's vocabulary was still quite limited, resulting in a wildly confusing narrative, but her parents listened to her with fond smiles anyway.

Maya gazed affectionately at her little girl. She was simply too adorable to stay mad at. Leaning down, Maya kissed Arabella's chubby cheek, and the little girl giggled and planted a kiss right back.

......... 

...... 

...

Out on the water, Karlos turned the wheel to haul in the longline. The thick line rolled up uniformly over the wheel as a fishing hook broke the surface, snagged to a thrashing fish. 

It was a massive swordfish, fighting fiercely for its life, its deadly, spear-like bill swinging through the air in a dangerous arc. Andres quickly stepped in, grabbing a heavy wooden club and striking the swordfish squarely on the head to stun it swiftly. A thrashing swordfish of that size could easily inflict severe injuries if left unchecked.

Once they were certain the fish had stopped moving, Andres and Brandon hauled the heavy creature aboard and unhooked it. The beast measured roughly one meter in length.

"That's the last one for today."

"Good. We can head back now."

The three men grinned, preparing their gear for the journey home. This time, it was Andres's turn to take the helm.

Karlos and Brandon sat down right next to the massive catch, their skin coated in the familiar, briny scent of the open sea.

"It's a good thing we installed these tarps to block the overhead sun. The built-in roof alone wouldn't cut it with both sides completely open," Brandon remarked, and Karlos readily agreed.

Their fishing boat lacked solid cabin walls to shield them from the scorching rays, so the men had rigged up rollable canvas tarps along both sides. That way, depending on the angle of the sun, they could block out the worst of the glare.

Even with the shades pulled, however, the tropical heat was relentless, especially now that peak summer was in full swing. The temperature was torturous.

"For some reason, your skin barely tans, even after all these years of working as a fisherman under the burning sun," Brandon observed, glancing sideways at Karlos.

"Probably just genetics. My family line tends to have fair skin," Karlos replied casually. Though, truth be told, his complexion had transitioned from sickly pale to a healthy, sun-kissed white over the past few years.

"I suppose so. Hey, do you use some kind of secret trick to keep your skin from burning?" Brandon asked with genuine curiosity.

"Nope, it's completely natural. I don't use lotion or follow any skincare routines, I just wash with regular bath soap."

"...Tch, lucky bastard."

"Why are you suddenly asking about my skincare anyway? Are you trying to whiten your skin now?" Karlos chuckled.

"I mean—"

"He's just trying to look good for a woman," Andres chimed in, though his voice was mostly drowned out by the steady hum of the boat's engine.

"A woman? Brandon, do you have someone special in mind? Who is it? Man, you didn't even mention anything," Karlos asked, genuinely surprised.

"It's nothing crazy. We're just talking," Brandon stammered, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

"So who is it? Do I know her?"

"She's one of Maya's friends," Andres laughed, blowing up his spot.

"How did you even figure that out?" Brandon gasped in betrayal.

"You kept staring in the direction of Maya's friends the entire time during Karlos's birthday party. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together."

"So you met her at my birthday? No wonder you looked so reluctant to leave when I gave you guys cash to go drink elsewhere!" Karlos suddenly pieced the puzzle together.

Maya had invited a few of her friends over to celebrate Karlos's birthday, though they hadn't stayed long. He never expected Brandon would take an interest in one of them.

"So, who is she? Is it Luz, Vin, or Minda?"

"...It's Minda."

"The one with the yellow hair? Bro, you two practically have matching hair colors, is that why you fell for her?"

"Actually, we actually met at the Araneto Villa during your twins' first birthday party... I just remembered her face when she showed up at your house and finally worked up the nerve to strike up a conversation."

Brandon's cheeks flushed slightly, though the dark tan of his skin made it hard to notice.

"Nice! Haha, I'm happy for you. Do you need me to put in a good word? I can ask my wife to help set things up so you two can hang out more."

"...Actually, we're already texting. I asked for her number," Brandon admitted quietly.

"Whoa!"

"Look at you stepping up! We're proud of you."

Just then, a sharp ringing tone chimed across the deck, originating from Brandon's backpack, which was strapped securely to one of the central support poles. Brandon jumped up in a panic, unzipped the bag, and pulled out his phone. A soft, involuntary smile spread across his face as he quickly typed out a reply before stashing the device back inside.

Karlos and Andres burst out laughing, thoroughly entertained by Brandon's flustered reaction. He looked like an awkward teenager experiencing his very first crush.

"Look at our boy Brandon growing up! Hahaha!"

"Oh, shut the hell up," Brandon muttered, his face burning with embarrassment.

The deck echoed with their cheerful laughter as the boat cut smoothly through the waves toward home.

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